Why second WNBA MVP win meant more to South Carolina women's basketball legend A'ja Wilson

The first thing A'ja Wilson did when she found out she won her second WNBA MVP award was call her parents.

The Las Vegas Aces star was still in the locker room after her team advanced to the WNBA Finals with a 97-92 win over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday.

"I just did not imagine this. I called my parents last night, and I was like 'You can't tell anyone, but like, we did it,' and they just started screaming like they did the first time," Wilson said. "It was just a feeling that just never gets old. I'm so glad that they're able to enjoy this moment with me ... because without them, there's no me. This was definitely a top-three exciting moment."

The South Carolina legend beat out the Storm's Breanna Stewart 478 votes to 446 to win the league's highest honor. She is the seventh player in WNBA history to win multiple MVP awards after earning the title first in 2020. She is also the fifth player ever named defensive player of the year and MVP in the same season.

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"Just to have my name on that list is truly a blessing," Wilson said. "Hopefully I can add a couple more of course, but just to be there and so young ... our league is hard. It's full of elite and great players, so for my name to now be it, I'm blessed and thankful."

In the regular season, Wilson averaged a near double-double with 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. She was the league's No. 5 in points, No. 2 in rebounds and No. 1 in blocks. Wilson has averaged 20.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game during the postseason.

Wilson's Aces teammate Kelsey Plum finished third in MVP voting and Chelsea Gray also received a first-place vote.

"It's all about sacrifice," Wilson said. "We give up so much for each other, and I think you see it on the court. It could be anybody's night, we're OK with it, because we know that we're fully capable of doing that, and I think it's something special. I think that we have something very, very special going on here in Vegas."

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has been a vocal advocate for Wilson's MVP win on social media, and Wilson said she has gotten even closer with Staley since graduating from USC.

"That's my second mom," Wilson said. "I try to talk to her at least once a week. That relationship is great. She's my little therapist, my mom, she's everything in between, and I love that about her so I always appreciate her."

Wilson had a historic college career at South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks to their first NCAA championship in 2017. She is the most decorated athlete in school history in any sport and was unanimously named national player of the year as a senior in 2018.

In 2021, South Carolina installed a statue of Wilson outside of Colonial Life Arena.

Wilson was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Aces and won rookie of the year that season. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star and has led the Aces to four consecutive appearances in the conference finals.

Wilson and the Aces will face the winner of Thursday's game between the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun in the first game of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: A'ja Wilson wins WNBA MVP: South Carolina women's basketball legend